Home invasion results in school lockdown

February 14, 2013

NEW CUMBERLAND - Hancock County sheriff's deputies are searching for a man involved in a home invasion incident Wednesday morning.

The man, identified as a white male wearing a ski mask, a red hoodie and blue jeans, forced his way into a residence on Middle Run Road, near state Route 8, at about 10 a.m. carrying a knife, Hancock County Sheriff Ralph Fletcher said.

A woman and two children were home at the time, but no one was injured, Fletcher said.

"The residence had a dog which bit the perpetrator and may have pushed him out," Fletcher said.

The man was driving a car described as a red Pontiac Sunfire with a rear spoiler and shiny wheels, Fletcher said.

Fletcher called the incident a "possible domestic" and said the suspect may be an ex-boyfriend of the victim's.

Later, word circulated through social media that the armed suspect had made his way to Calcutta. While unconfirmed, concerns were raised for the safety of pupils at Calcutta Elementary School. Administrators at the school activated what Beaver Local School District Superintendent Kent Polen called a soft lockdown at 10:50 a.m.

"They continued teaching, continued about their day, but the kids did not go outside, and they were extra vigilant about the outside doors," Polen said.

The condition lasted until approximately 11:20 a.m., when a St. Clair Township police officer came by the school and told administrators the information was only a rumor.